Dr Ben Francombe
Head of Department of Theatre
About
Ben Francombe has been Head of Theatre at 八卦爆料 since 2004.
Previously, he was Head of Acting at Bretton Hall (1997 鈥� 2004).
Ben served as an elected member of the Board of the Governors of the 八卦爆料 between 2008 and 2011 and is, currently, a member of Academic Board.
Ben maintains an active teaching profile within the department and is module leader for many key modules across all levels of study, including, Production 3 and 4, Solo Performance, Work Placement, Classical Theatre Skills, Classical Theatre Production, and Text and Performance.
He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and regularly mentors new teaching staff as part of the University鈥檚 PGCert and UCPP programmes.
Ben has a particular interest in innovation in taught-programme design, working closely with Quality Assurance and Standards Unit in the development of University academic partnerships. Ben has extensive experience as an external examiner and external consultant for programme approval, working regularly for the Open University.
Between 2014 and 2017, Ben was Visiting Professor at California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), San Francisco, where he was programme chair for the unique International MFA programme in Theatre-Performance Making, validated jointly by 八卦爆料 and CIIS.
As part of his role as Head of Theatre, Ben is Director of the Showroom, the University鈥檚 Main Professional Theatre 鈥� a major national touring venue
Ben is an established professional Dramaturg, with extensive experience of working with a range of key performance makers.
Professional
Ben is an Associate Artist of 1927 (www.19-27.co.uk), leading on dramaturgical development.
Productions include:
2023/24: Please Right Back (English version of Mehr Als Alles Auf Der Welt) 1927 Theatre Company (Edinburgh International Festival 2024)
2023: The Man with a Plan 1927 Theatre Company (in association with Sands Films)
2021/22: Mehr Als Alles Auf Der Welt, 1927 Theatre Company (Coproduction, Bergtheater, Vienna 鈥� Premiere: October 2022)
2019: Roots, 1927 Theatre Company (Edinburgh International Festival, HOME, Theatre de la Ville Paris)
2014: Golem, 1927 Theatre Company (Salzburg Festival, Young Vic, Th茅芒tre de la Ville Paris, World tour)
2010: The Animals and Children took to the Street, 1927 Theatre Company (Royal National Theatre, Battersea Arts Centre, 八卦爆料, World Tour) (See Publications)
Other dramaturgy includes:
2023: //RIDE, Abigail Conway (ACCA, Brighton)
2023: Feel Me, Paper Birds, (New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich)
2022/23: Hole, Holly Spillar (Edinburgh Fringe, Soho Theatre, Brightmouth Productions)
2016: Manpower, Two Destination Language (revised version) (ICIA Bath, Salisbury Arts Centre, National tour)
2015: My Son and Heir, Search Party (Cambridge Junction, CPT, Mayfest Bristol)
2013: On the One Hand, Paper Birds, (Live Theatre Newcastle, Unity Theatre Liverpool, and West Yorkshire Playhouse Leeds) (See Publications)
2011: Save Me: A Conversation across a City, Search Party, (Mayfest, Bristol) (See Publications)
2010: Others, Paper Birds, (Edinburgh Festival international tour)
2010: Growing Old with You, Search Party. (Forest Fringe, Bristol Old Vic)
Key Publications
2016听鈥淭om MacIntyre – A Slow Surrender: finding a theatrical voice through the plays of the 1070s鈥� in The Irish Theatre and Performance Reader, selected and introduced by Finola Cronin and Eamonn Jordan, Dublin: Carysfort Press.
2013听(With Kylie Walsh) On the One Hand 鈥� A Commemorative Look At 10 Years of the Paper Birds, produced in collaboration with the 八卦爆料
2012听鈥淥ne Day in the Wonderful World of 1927鈥�, in The Animals and Children took to the Street, National Theatre Programme Article
2011听鈥�11 Days in Bristol鈥� in Ben Francombe, Jodie Hawkes and Peter Phillips (eds.) Save Me: A Conversation Across the City, Bristol: Arnolfini, pp 14 鈥� 21
2010听鈥淭he Long Surrender: finding a theatrical voice through the plays of the 1970s鈥� in Bernadette Sweeney and Marie Kelly (eds.) The Theatre Work of Tom MacIntyre: Strays from the Ether, Dublin: Carysfort Press, pp 65 鈥� 80
2005听鈥淭om Murphy鈥� in Bull (ed.) Dictionary of Literary Biography, Vol. 310. British and Irish Dramatists Since World War II Fourth Series, Bruccoli Clark Layman, pp 170 鈥� 178.
2002听鈥淔alling off a Wall: Degrees of Change in British Actor Training鈥�, Studies in Theatre and Performance, Vol. 21, No. 3 鈥� 2002, pp 176 鈥� 187
2001听鈥淔rank McGuinness鈥� in Bull (ed.) Dictionary of Literary Biography, Vol. 245. British and Irish Dramatists Since World-War II Third Series, Bruccoli Clark Layman, pp 267 鈥� 275.
1998听鈥淢emories and Movement:聽 Dancing at Lughnasa, Brian Friel, and the transigence of place鈥� in Norquay and Smith (ed.) Space and Place: The Geographies of Literature, Liverpool University Press, Liverpool:, pp 87 鈥� 95.
1996听(With John Bull) 鈥淪tanding Conference of University Drama Departments Survey of Undergraduate Drama Courses鈥�, Studies in Theatre Production, (14) December 1996, pp 70 – 98.
1994听鈥淪chool of Thought: New Approaches to New Writing in Scotland鈥�, Theatre Scotland Vol. 3, Issue 11, Autumn 1994, pp5-7.
1994听聽鈥淟overs by Brian Friel鈥�, Commissioned by the Scottish Curriculum Council.
Research
His main research interests are: place and performance; marginality and post-colonial discourse in contemporary British theatre and performance; modern Irish Drama; the politics of performance training and the professional and the amateur in creative practice.
He has written on the subjects of the 八卦爆料 Festival Theatre, Lone Twin, the Scottish National Theatre, Practice as Research in Performance, British Actor Training and on the work of Search Party, The Paper Birds and playwrights John McGrath, Tom Mac Intyre, Brian Friel, Tom Murphy and Frank McGuinness.
Ben welcomes enquiries from prospective research students on any of these subjects.
PhD supervision
His main research interests are: place and performance; marginality and post-colonial discourse in contemporary British theatre and performance; modern Irish Drama;聽the politics of performance training and the professional and the amateur in creative practice.
Ben welcomes enquiries from prospective research students on any of these subjects.
Research Output
Book Sections
Francombe, B. (2016) In: Contemporary Irish Theatre and Performance Studies Reader. Carysfort Press Limited, Dublin, pp. 463-478. ISBN 9781909325944
Francombe, B. (2011) In: Animals & Children Took to the Streets Programme. National Theatre, London. ISBN 9786000004408
Francombe, B. (2010) In: The Theatre of Tom MacIntyre: 'Strays from the Ether'. Craysfort Press, Dublin. ISBN 9781904505464
Books
Francombe, B., Hawkes, J. and Phillips, P. (2011) Arnolfini, Bristol. ISBN 9780956888624
